Lonely Knights
by Blind-Eyes-That-See
Summary: It's odd that sometimes the only thing that can melt the coldest heart, is the coldest day.
1. Lonely knight

Disclaimer: I own nothing. _____________________________________________________________________________________

"I think maybe you should come in," said Toga Yagari in a perfectly casual tone. Normally this statement would have gone unnoticed, a simple stirring in the backdrop of a hunter's life. However, this case was exceptional.

For Yagari had addressed a bush.

The bush in question remained stoically inanimate. A breeze in the cold night air drifted through its dark green leaves, displacing flakes of snow. Yagari sighed, and tilted his head to stare at the starry night sky. Absently he lifted a cigarette from his coat pocket and lit it. He breathed from the fuming stick and blew a huff of smoke.

"You're not going to fool anyone you know," continued Yagari. A long silence filled the quiet night. He glanced to note that the snow, while hours old, still remained mostly pure. Yagari let out a long sigh.

"You're on a roof, Zero,"

And indeed he was. The bush had no comment.

Yagari growled. "Zero," Silence. "Zero!" he barked. The bush remained still for a moment. Then, slowly, a head was born from its branches. Zero Kiryu glared up at his sensei.

"What do you want?" he muttered darkly. Typical of Zero, the un-seriousness of the situation was lost on him. Silvery mist rose to caress his face, linked in pace to his even breathing. Yagari frowned.

"What do I want? I want to know why you're making a fool of yourself. Come inside Zero. It's freezing out here," Zero made no move to get up. Yagari took another huff of his cigarette to calm down. "Look, if you're going to stay up all night, can't you at least do something useful? Hunt vampires like you usually do, at least I can explain that off as 'that's just Zero'. What are you going to tell your neighbors when they ask why you were up on your roof all night?

Zero's face remained passive. "I've two arguments. One, there is no reason why any of my neighbors would bother to glance up at my roof, and even if by some rare chance they did, they'd have to watch me all night to prove I was up here for that long. Two, I brought camouflage, so any revision of the data will be in my favor. That is, of course, unless I'm forced to break character to talk to an annoying sensei…" the younger hunter's voice hid knives.

Yagari stared for a moment. When he spoke, his words were faintly skewed by gentle bites on the butt of his cigarette.

"Fair enough, I suppose. So why are you hiding here?" Zero's head retreated into his leafy haven.

"I have reason to suspect a vampire will be show up here tonight". Yagari's eyebrow raised as his interest stirred.

"Oh?" he asked. "And what makes you think this? Death threats? An intercepted message?" a stirring of leaves indicated a shaking head.

"He comes every year. I noticed him the first year I stayed with the Crosses. His feet would pitter patter on the roof, and I rushed out to catch him, but by the time I got there, he was gone. Yuuki didn't believe me, so when he came again next year, I grabbed her to come with me. He was gone that time too. I was so angry. I had missed a kill, and I had embarrassed myself in front of Yuuki," Zero's voice grew softer. But Yuuki… she just smiled, and said we'd get him next time," Zero's went quiet. Yagari flicked away his cigarette.

"It became our tradition. Every year we'd stay up to catch him. Every year we'd miss him. Every year I'd be upset. Then Yuuki would just smile at me and say we'd get him next year, and every year it would be alright. I-," Zero caught himself. Such prattle was entirely out of character for him. "Well, this year I'm going to get him," and he was silent.

Yagari stood there, as the silence settled around his apprentice like a blanket. When sufficient time had passed, he spoke. His voice came out softly.

"Zero, have you been feeling …lonely?" again, there was a pause.

"No, sensei! No, I'm fine. But… if you wanted to stay up here with me, that would be okay. I mean, if the vampire is particularly strong, I might need help," Yagari smiled.

"There isn't a vampire in the world you'd need help with, Zero," Yagari stretched his arm into the bush, and found a soft mound of tendrils he could only assume was Zero's head. He ruffled it. Between them were the unspoken words, except one. But perhaps there would have been some debate among the two as to which one it was, so neither voiced it. "I'm going hunting Zero. But I'll explain to the Hunters' Society that you're taking a personal day," with that, he turned to leave.

As Yagari came to the edge of the roof, and prepared himself to jump, he heard a shushed voice.

"Sensei," it paused. "Thank you," Yagari stopped, but did not turn.

"No problem. And Zero… merry Christmas," and then he jumped down. Alone, in the press of night, Zero did not speak.

Merry Christmas indeed.

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Chapter one. Chapter two will be out as soon as I can write it.

Constructive criticism is as welcomed as praise. Let me know if it's too slow paced. I've a feeling most of my writing is hard to get into.


	2. And His Princess Bright

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Just to mention, this is set after the anime, and a little after the current manga chapter.

* * *

"Yuuki, what are you doing?" Kaname's voice was passive. Yuuki glanced up from her work, startled. On her lap was an assortment of papers in every color of the world.

"Christmas cards," she chirped. "I know I can't mail them now, but when we leave, I want our friends to know that I never stopped thinking about them," without a thought, she continued working. Kaname's expression didn't change; it never did anyway.

"You know that's not what I meant. Why are you on the roof?" a chilly wind, carrying a sparse scatter of snowflakes, blew through the black air, rustling the two purebloods' hair. Unmindful of such matters, Yuuki did not bother to look up at her brother.

"It's a tradition. When Zero and I were little, he thought there was a vampire on the roof. I didn't believe him, but he insisted he was right. So, every year, we'd sit outside and wait. Zero would never admit it, but he'd fall asleep every time," she smiled faintly at the memory. "We never did catch him," she paused, glancing up slyly. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have been the vampire we were looking for?"

Kaname turned his head away. There had indeed been times when he had snuck atop roofs to study Yuuki as she slept. However, it had been a good deal more often than one night a year. "If I had been, that man would never have noticed me in the first place."

Yuuki cringed. "Say his name, Kaname-senpai," it was Kaname's turn to cringe.

"Yuuki, you know I don't like it when you address me with that honorific. Call me Kaname, and only Kaname," Yuuki did not look at him. Her hands had stopped moving.

"Call him by his name, Senpai," there was a long pause. Kaname stared unblinkingly at the top of her head. The tension warmed the cold night.

"Zero wouldn't have noticed me in the first place," he said. And just like that, the tension melted. Yuuki giggled.

"No, he probably wouldn't have."

The two sat in unblinking silence. It was Kaname that ended it.

"Yuuki, you know it's not safe to be on the roof for too long. People might see you," inwardly the pureblood winced. He did so hate to disappoint his love in any way. "Come inside."

Yuuki did not budge. Kaname's diamond hard fangs rubbed against each other in annoyance.

"Yuuki-,"

"But Kaname, it's tradition," whined Yuuki, her voice carrying on the last syllable for a good three seconds. Her big, brown eyes stared up sadly. "Pleeeeeease."

Kaname gritted his teeth. _Don't look into those eyes. You always say yes to those damn eyes._

Yuuki stared him down for a few more moments with her cute look before she realized it wasn't going to work. Huffing, hands one hand on her hip, and the other holding her half written cards, she stood and stormed off towards the edge of the roof.

"Fine, I'll go inside. But if there turns out to be a vampire on the roof, there'll be consequences! Terrible consequences," Kaname stared.

And then the pureblood realized something.

_There's a vampire on the roof right now._

* * *

_This one was smaller, but I think it was okay._


	3. Slay

The dark tugged gently at Zero's tired eyelids. The sounds of nightlife became the whisper of stars, as they gossiped among themselves as to the fate of the young hunter beneath their gaze. To Zero's fogged over hearing, it seemed that half were betting he would lose the coming battle. The other half bet he would fall asleep.

Hah. In all his years of vigilance, Zero had never once fallen asleep on the job. Despite what everybody said. Despite what Yuuki said. Especially despite what Yuuki said.

It was just his eyes got tired. Was it a crime to close them? It wasn't like he couldn't hear any intruder who dared to cross his path. And if his head was more comfortable pressed up against his knee, that was his business, right? He could still get up, couldn't he? And if his own breathing, reflected against his knee felt warm, and dragged his tattered consciousness down into the calm waters of sleep…

A slight breeze drifted through the night air, chilling an unprotected corner of Zero's face. The hunter jerked back, his head disturbing his hiding bush, knocking the layer of snow from his hair and its leaves.

"I'm not asleep," he mumbled into the air. "Damn it Yuuki, this doesn't prove any -," he stopped. Glancing to his left, he noted a significant lack of mocking giggles. If Yuuki had been there, the warmth of her body would have had him out cold a long time ago. The breeze wouldn't have found its way to his face, and if it had, he wouldn't have cared.

"So it was your fault. I suppose I should be mad."

But as the darkness pressed in on his soul and mind, and the he fell into a second lapse of awareness, all he could feel was a deep hole in his chest, where something very important had once lived.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The sound of footsteps jerked Zero from his sober state of intoxication. Quickly taming his disciplined body, the hunter peered out. His heart stopped.

A vampire. In its red clothing and skin, it looked like a crimson berry, sneaking through the snowy path on Zero's roof. A grin broke across the hunter's mouth, revealing a single fang.

I was right. Yes! I knew it. I can't wait to tell-

He stopped himself, his joy fading. The night suddenly felt a good deal more like business as usual. He stood, leaves and snow falling from his chilled body. The vampire turned, a look of shock evident on his flushed face.

"You've seen me?" it asked. Zero frowned coolly, as he shifted the bulk of his weight to his rear foot. The hunter flipped his bloody rose into the air, caught it, and pointed it straight at the bloodsucker in one smooth motion.

"I see you in my nightmares every time I close my eyes. Now please die," he squeezed the trigger.

Three thorny vines whipped from his body, twisting and tangling among themselves as they sped towards their target. The vampire stared for a moment, and then dodged to his right, flopping like an unsightly fish as he hit the ground.

The vines slipped just past his shoulder. The vampire lay on the ground for a moment, his sight buried in the darkness of his own hands. Finally, when it dawned on him that he had succeeded, he peeked out, and then stood. He looked about, his eyes searching for the hunter.

But he was gone.

"Where are you?"

"Right here," came a whisper that chilled the frozen night. The vampire whirled around to face Zero. Or at least, he tried to. About halfway through, a metallic thud rang through the air. He crumpled, and fell to the ground.

Zero stared down, a passive look on his face. Outstretched in his hand was the butt end of the bloody rose.

"You're not on the kill list. I can't terminate you. But-," the hunter kneeled down to grab his prey, and lifted it with his free arm. Glaring at the unconscious body, he continued, "- I can certainly give you a warning. If you ever bother me again, I'll break every bone in your body, then cut open your jugular and feast on your dirty blood," Zero tossed to unconscious beast away as if it were nothing more than a paper weight.

The night stood still. So it was finally over. He had won. He should have felt happier about it.

"I was right," muttered Zero. So what? In a fog of blackness, Zero marched to the edge of the roof. Just as he hung at the edge, and was about to jump down, a voice cut through his foul mood.

"What have you done?" instantly, the hunter had his gun out. He twirled to face his next opponent-

- and saw nothing. Curious, Zero looked around. He was certain he had heard someone.

"Hey, stupid! Down here," Zero froze. Then, slowly, he traced his gaze downward. There, hands on his hips, was a very small man. Dressed in a thick black sweater, and an almost comically oversized scarf, the man glared out.

"What have you done?" he repeated, a great deal more bold than a creature his size had right to be. Zero stared.

"I took out a man that's been stalking me since I was five. What would you have done?" the tiny man stomped his feet, leaving deep footprints on the layer of snow that had gathered on Zero's roof.

"Idiot! You're a complete idiot! Do you know what you've done?!" Zero's glare burned brighter.

"I already told you, I-."

" Idiot! Look closely at the man you just knocked out," Zero paused. Sighing, he shifted over to the vampire, if only to shut the little man up.

Clothes the color of blood. A menacing, red cheeked face. A long beard that probably spent most of its time coated in the drippings of human blood. Yep, a vampire.

Except…

"Look closer, stupid," muttered the tiny man. And Zero did.

Yes, perhaps there was something familiar about him. The hunter searched over his memories, trying to match the face to something. A serial killer? No. A teacher from the night class? No… and then it hit him.

Zero's head whipped around, hoping to not have the image in his mind confirmed by reality. But there it was, in all its glory.

A sleigh.

"Santa…," he whispered.


	4. Fire Kissed

The colors of sunset danced and hissed, slowly sizzling between blackening logs. Yuuki stared through them, a smile on her pretty face. After a moment, her gaze fell, and she began scribbling on a thick, grey card.

_Dear Yori,_

_Life here is so wonderful. I just can't explain it to you. Kaname-senpai is very kind to me, and I'm learning a lot about the vampire world. Isn't it odd that I have to study though? They never mention that in the stories about princesses that go off with their knights. I suppose it's because Senpai is more of a prince than a knight._

_I decided to write all my friends so that when we meet again, I can give them a bunch of cards so they'll know I never stopped thinking about them. So when you read this, it might be a sunny and cheerful day. I sort of hope it is. The sun suites you well. A lot better than the snow. Snow is cold, beautiful, and still even when it's moving. It much more suits-_

Yuuki stopped. Silently cursing, she erased furiously. She had to stop thinking about him.

_- Suites you well. I hope you're having a Merry Christmas, and tell the others I said hi._

_With love and best wishes,_

_Yuuki_

Yuuki stared forward into the dancing flames. It wasn't like she had purposefully delayed herself in writing his letter. She was going by alphabetical order. His name started with a Z, didn't it? Well didn't it? And what did it matter that his last name started with K? Who said that Kiryu had to go before Wakaba? Certainly not her. She would have made it W A B C… K Y Z. It made much more sense. It… looked better. So by delaying in the writing of Zero's letter, she was really sticking to her principles!

… Right?

Yuuki did not move. She kept staring forward, her body as unable to process her feelings as her mind and soul. After a small eternity, her hand found its way to the small pile of paper seated right beside her. She clutched one and dragged it into her view. Snow white.

Yuuki put her pen to the paper.

"Dear Zero," she drawled. And then she stopped again. What was there to say? Well, there was a lot to say. But it was like her heart was a flood, and her hand the floodgate. If she let herself spring the tiniest crack, it would all come gushing forth.

"Dear Zero," she repeated, scribbling as she spoke. Dear Zero. Dear Zero. Dear Zero. What else was there to write? "I-," she started. The silence pressed in around her like a pressing weight. She stood suddenly, her eyes shut in frustration.

"Writer's block. That's all it is. I'll write this later," Yuuki dropped the barely started letter as she stormed off. A bang shot through the expansive living room as she shut the door behind her.

And though the room had no one, it had lost an emptiness.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Yuuki," rang Kaname's calm, powerful voice. The door creaked as he entered the main room. Stone and wood greeted him with their cold embrace. He glanced about. She wasn't there either. Sighing, the pureblood moved to exit the room, but then his eyes caught against something.

"You really must learn to pick up after yourself," he breathed, as he approached her pile of paper. When he reached them, he knelt, and began to sort. The light the fireplace played against his dark hair.

Amidst the multicolored paper, he saw a name he vaguely recognized. Sayori Wakaba. He smiled. It was good that Yuuki had been able to reach out to the humans in her time as one. It was even better than she hadn't had to be lonely for so long.

As he continued on, Kaname saw many names he recognized. All of Yuuki's friends. The pureblood found his smile growing. Yuuki certainly was a friendly girl. She would have so much reminiscing to do once he could afford to let her leave. He really did feel bad for keeping her in such a depressing building for so long. If he wasn't certain that it was necessary to protecting her life, he would have taken her out into the pale moonlight in a human heartbeat.

When Kaname had nearly finished, he stood and swept his gaze about the room to see if there was anything he had missed. The pureblood caught a white card set apart from the rest. Still smiling, he knelt to grab it. And then he stopped.

He had seen the name on the card.

Zero

_Zero_

_**Zero**_

Just… Zero. No Zero-kun. No Zero-san. No Zero-sempai.

Kaname stared for a moment. His powerful hand quivered. He stood. Time passed. He was not sure how much.

Finally, Kaname seemed to make his decision. With a cold kind of fury, he crumpled the card and tossed it into the fire. The paper blackened and crisped, fading into the sizzling air. When Kaname was sure that it had been completely reduced to ashes, he turned and slowly walked out of the room.

"She can say **his** name," he whispered, the sadness of a checked king in his silky voice.


	5. Skyborn

"No," said Zero, his arms folded in a gesture of firm defiance. The elf's perpetual glare heated.

"You'll put it on!" he roared. The tiny creature's voice cut like a knife through the inky night. Zero did not move. His back was flat against the seat of the sled, and his ebon coat had been replaced with a baggy crimson one. He even had the reindeer whip in his gunless hand. The hunter had everything he needed to pull off the Santa Claus look.

Except for the hat.

Zero did not flinch. "Personally, I don't care if you wake up the neighborhood. In fact, it'd be rather entertaining. Still, if I were you, I'd quiet down." In the frigid black of night, the elf's face turned a fiery red. When he spoke, his voice came out as a whisper. "Fine… don't wear the damn hat. See if I care. Just head out already," Zero still didn't move. His body locked he looked away in a huff.

"I don't recall agreeing to this," the sound of the elf's grinding teeth was almost as bad as his roar.

"Then… why… are… you … wearing… the coat?" he asked, careful to keep his inner scream contained. Zero did not respond. The elf had been slowly wearing him down for the past hour. It had started out small. Well, actually, it had started out big.

"With Santa gone, there's no choice. YOU have to take over," he had said. Zero's response had been reasonable of course. It's just outside of the hunter and vampire worlds, picking up an elf and depositing him in the closest trashcan isn't considered reasonable. When the tiny man had caught up with the silver haired brat, he had approached the problem with a calm sort of irrational yelling.

First he had managed to get the socks on Zero's feet. Then he had forced on the boots. It had taken him quite a bit of inventive wordplay, and not a little crying to get the red suit on. And now that he was so close to his goal, the little brat wasn't complying. What was so unreasonable about it? He had just requested of a teenage boy that he enter his toy filled vehicle with an unconscious fat man in the back, and fly off to an undisclosed, but assuredly candy containing, location. What were people coming to these days?

The elf stomped his feet in frustration. "Fine! Do what you want boy; I don't have time for this. Get out of the sleight and I'll do this myself," in one quick motion, the tiny man jumped into the red vehicle and seated himself in the driver's position. He glanced to his left to see that Zero had not yet moved. A strange, quiet look was drawn across his handsome face. The elf almost gawked, but as soon as the expression was noticed it disappeared. Zero's glare could have burned stone.

"No," he said. The elf stared. What? How could he say no to this? And then the world hit him.

"Kid, you wouldn't happen to be… lonely, would you?" Zero fell back, shock evident in his body.

"What? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just not going to comply with some vampire's assistant's orders. That's all," but the trail following his voice betrayed Zero. Inwardly the elf cursed. He couldn't scream anymore.

There were three kinds of elves in the world.

There were the ones that spent their time in forests, prancing around and playing with animals. That kind of elf tended to get anti social with anything but their beasts. Well, at least until they decided to "play" with a bear. After that, they were anti social with just about everything.

There were also the elves that lived in a tree and made cookies. While they were generally nicer, almost all of them would eventually grow detached, as the constant war against the cookie monster wore at their souls.

And then there were the elves like him. Those that spent their time at the North Pole, making toys for little children. You didn't get to be a Santa elf with anything but good will towards every youth. And despite his size, despite his brashness, the silver haired hunter before him had been a child in the instant he had let loneliness touch his eyes. The elf sighed. In as gentle a tone as he could manage, he spoke.

"Look… kid, think of it as a favor to me. I'll owe you one. All elves will owe you one," Zero paused for a second, as he weighed his options.

"What would I have to do?" he asked. The elf's face split into a grin. He leaned in close, and whispered into Zero's ear. The hunter pulled back, sighing.

"Alright, fine. It it'll get you to stop bugging me," they sat in silence for a moment. Zero looked like he wanted to ask something. The elf did it for him.

"Dilly Candybraid," he said, holding out his hand. "What's your name?"

After deducing that a trap was unlikely, Zero took the outstretched hand. "Zero Kiryu," he said. He turned to face the front of the slay. The world was black with night, and white with snow. Zero's voice was strong and confident.

"On Dasher, on Dancer," slowly, the sleigh began to inch forward. Zero continued. "On Prancer and Vixen," their speed seemed to be picking up. "On Comet on Cupid!," he screamed, as the cold air rushed passed his face and rustled his hair. On Donner and Blitzen!"

A shock ran through Zero's spine as the sleigh burst into the air. Out of instinct, he dropped to the floor of the sleigh, his flight or flight reflex balanced dangerously on the "fight" side. When he calmed himself, the hunter peeked out. Dilly was staring at him, a half grin on his face.

In a quick motion, Zero sat up completely. Shame took over his heart. It quickly vanished.

The sky hugged at the tiny sleigh like a protective mother. Zero stared up at it, and marveled at the thousands of white points in a sea of black. When he glanced down, he was no less awed to see the beauty of his home and he raced above it. Rooftops and streets were covered in a fine, white blanket. The hunter sat back, his heart beating.

And far below, so far that Zero could not see him, a scarred hunter looked up at the inky sky, saw the red sleigh streaking across the heavens, and laughed.


	6. Skyflame

"So you're serious, right?" asked Zero, his feet planted firmly on the snowy ground. The elf next to him gave a curt nod. "Yup. This is her," Zero blinked. This was… unexpected.

"You're sure? I mean, she's not exactly what you expect when you think of her." Dilly snorted in laughter.

"Yeah. Ol' Nick robbed the cradle, eh?"

Zero blinked. Indeed he had. For before the hunter, her silvery hair hidden against the fallen snow, was one of the most beautiful women the hunter had ever laid eyes on. Mrs. Clause. She lifted her petite frame to stare at them. Tears dotted her young face.

"S-so, my husband's d-dead?" her voice faltered. Zero waved his hands dismissively, and Dilly spoke.

"No no ma'am, he's just unconscious! He should be awake and fine in a few hours, but until then, Zero Clause and I will be handling the presents. We just came by to stock back up on Christmas presents."

Mrs. Clause rubbed the tears from her eyes, and then sniffed once. "Okay then. But, uuum… where is the sleigh?"

"Oh that? We left it in the sky and took a reindeer down. Seemed like it would take less time," Dilly rubbed at the back of his head, grinning. Mrs. Clause's face took on a ponderous look.

"But doesn't that leave anything on board at risk of falling ov-?"

SLAM

A pink, shiny object rammed itself into the ground, throwing up a hail of snow and ice. Dilly examined it closely. He sighed "Okay, he's dead now. Bad timing there," Mrs. Clause burst into a storm of tears, and fell to her knees. Zero rubbed at the back of his head.

"Can we do something interesting now?" he asked. Dilly turned to the hunter, paused a second, then sighed again.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Zero-kun!" cried a particularly tall elf. Zero's jaw dropped. What the heck? Dilly coughed, gesturing forward.

"Zero Clause, this is our head elf, Candy Kane." After a bit of struggling, the hunter managed to lift his jaw back into place. "We've met," he said. For before them, his grayed hair tied back in a worker's ponytail, was headmaster Cross. He was wearing green and red stripes. It matched perfectly with the interior of the industry of Santa's workshop. A lot of things started making a lot of sense.

Headmaster Cross grinned, then threw himself into a great big hug. Tears streamed behind him as he flew. "My cute son has come to keep Papa company on his part time job!"

Zero caught the more emotional man with the palm of his hand. He scowled. "For the five thousand, three hundred, and thirty second time since you let me into your house, I'm not your son!" As Kaien struggled to his feet, he half winced, half grinned.

"Ah. Well, that's okay." A thought struck Zero. When he spoke, he did so with half interest inflection in his calm voice. "I suppose this explains why you were always gone on Christmas Eve." A look of guilt crossed over Kaien's face. "I'm really sorry about that Zero. And hey," he grinned teasingly. "You and Yuki seemed fine keeping yourselves company though. Every year I came home, I'd find you and her cuddled up in a bush, snoozing oh so gently -."

The head elf probably would have continued for a good deal longer after that point, but Zero cut him off with a short strike to the head. "Shut up old man!" he growled.

Cough.

The elf and the clause turned to see Dilly, annoyance vivid in his stance. "I find all this very fascinating, believe me, but we have more important thing to be doing right now. Mr. Cross, get the toys ready." The taller hunter practically danced upward.

"Oh yes. Don't worry everyone; we'll have everything ready in just a second. Come my magical singing elves, it's time for our dance!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

And indeed, for awhile, it was a choreographed dance scene with the chairman serving the purpose of an enthusiastic singer. The elves pranced happily, stacking up presents. Admittedly, after Zero had started making use of his reindeer whip, it had been a bit more like forced labor, but that was beside the point.

The hunter surveyed his filled sleigh for a moment, and then began whipping his reindeer into shape. Beneath him, a hundred elves winced at the sound of the leather striking against itself. Above them, the night sky waited patiently. The chairman waved his adopted son away happily, a grand smile on his face despite the oversized bandages that riddled his body.

Beside Zero, Dilly checked at everything, making sure there wouldn't be another unfortunate fall like there had been with Santa. He glanced about guiltily to find his late employer's grieving widow, but in the press of the elves, he couldn't catch her. How sad. Oh well. Presents to shell out!

With a great heave, the elf tied up the last constraint on the presents. He looked up at Zero, and gave the go ahead. The hunter nodded, and gave another whip crack. The reindeer' reared their horned heads, letting out soft neighs, and then rushed forward into the air.

Dilly's eyes did not leave Zero. The soft moonlight reflected gently against his silvery hair, and his purple eyes filled with a fire. The elf knew that fire well. It was the passion of flight. The joy of air caressing your unprotected skin. The fury of skies. For a moment, Dilly was reminded of Nick when he had been younger.

The fires quenched themselves, and Dilly was taken aback as the young hunter turned to him. His voice was passionless. "Do you think that woman will be alright?"

Dilly's heart froze for a second, and he frowned. "That can't be our concern right now. We'll do what we can when we get back. Until then, Kaien should be sufficient comfort." Zero allowed a half grin to touch his face. "Like a stupid puppy, that one." Dilly laughed half heartedly. Indeed he was. But wouldn't the world be so much better if it were filled with stupid puppies?

The two sat for a moment, as the night moved past them. They did not speak. And so the silence remained unbroken, save for the crackle of the fire of flight.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I know I said I won't apologize for chapters but… it's kinda hard not to with this one :/


	7. Hoping

In the darkness, Cindy Lue's eyes opened. Excitement filled her, and her heart beat faster. It was Christmas night. She had waited all year for this opportunity. Tonight was the night she was finally going to meet Santa.

Creeping quietly, the six year old stepped into the bare moonlight that lit the smallest portions of her home. She stared eagerly at the fireplace. Hours had passed, but she had not given up. Looking away and losing faith were how bad little girls missed out on Santa. That was why, though sleep tugged at her tired little eyelids, she had refused to go to bed. Down the hall, her parents snoozed softly, content in the knowledge that Cindy was asleep. She stepped back into her hiding place behind a sofa.

The fireplace remained still. Slowly, Cindy's heart began to sink. She looked up at a clock. The hour hand was just to the left of the rising twelve. Her eyes returned to their vigil, but a spark of doubt had crossed into them. Where was he? Perhaps she should just leave…

CRASH!Cindy's head whirled to face the source of the sound. On the floor, outlined by the crisp moonlight, was a brick. Her gaze traveled upward to catch sight of her window. Cracks ran through the glass, spider webbing around a gaping hole. A hand fit through it, then opened it up to the world. A boot slid through, lifting a slim figure into her house. Standing against the moon, crimson robes flaming, he looked nothing less than an angel. He was saying something.

"- told you, I'm not climbing down a damn chimney." He stepped down into the house, glaring as he did so. Cindy stared, amazed. Peeping out from her hiding place, she noted that Santa was a good deal thinner than he was commonly portrayed as being. His hair, while silvery, did not appear to be the hair of an old man. He actually looked kind of… cool. Her squealing instincts roared, but she fought them with all her heart. Now was not the time to make a noise.

Her front door creaked open. An elf walked through, a miffed look on his face.

"I'm not arguing with you on that point, Zero, but the front door was open." Cindy stared at the elf for a moment longer. Here, at least, the tales seemed to be true. He was short, and his ears were pointy. A stupid grin spread to her face. She had been right. Santa was real. Her eyes glided back to him. He was gone. She fell back in shock. Her head hit flesh.

"Hello there," came a calm voice. She turned slowly. Staring down at her, icy fire in their core, were a pair of violet eyes. Silver strands of hair waved gently in the still air. "Aren't you up a bit late?" Steel cut through her soul. She blinked, but did not respond. Zero glared harder.

"I said, aren't you up a bit late?" Still, she did not respond. Zero's stance became death. "Why won't you say anything?!" Again, the girl blinked.

"Mister, I can't speak Japanese. I'm French" That was a slap in the face to the young hunter.

"Then why did you just speak to me in English?" he asked.

"Cause most the readers can't speak French or Japanese." Zero nodded. It was true. He turned to Dilly, and then decided to give an attempt.

"Nous est les pommes. Vous allez a ma chat, et demander un arbre." The girls' eyes widened. Zero stepped back. Dilly grinned.

"We is the apples. Go to my cat and ask for a tree."

Zero cursed. "French never interested me all that much. It doesn't sound angry enough when spoken. German though-." Dilly sighed, and closed the distance between himself and the girl.

"Vous couchez, s'il vous plait." The girl glared, and shook her head.

"Je ne veux pas -." " Can we just go back to all inexplicably speaking English?" interrupted Zero in an exasperated tone. The other two nodded. Sighing, Zero readdressed the girl.

"Alright, so, we're going to have to wipe your memory clean. You're not supposed to have seen us." Cindy stared, tears welling in her big eyes.

"B-b-but -."

"Don't "but" me. I lived with Yuki Cross for a damn long time. I'm familiar with puppy dog tactics." The girl stared for a moment, assessing Zero's weaknesses. Finally, she sighed.

"Fine. What are you going to do to me? Do you have some kind of magic fair dust that wipes memories clean?" For the first time that night, Zero smiled.

"Suuuuuuuure we do," he said. The last thing Cindy saw before she blacked out was the butt end of a gun coming for her head.

___________________________________

"Zero!" roared Dilly, anger spicing his voice. Zero looked up, his smile gone.

"What? She'll wake up in a few hours. What else was I supposed to do?"

The sound of Dillys' gnashing teeth threatened to wake the house. "How about using this magic fairy dust that wipes memories clean?!" He presented a small, plastic bag. The shining substance within it lit the dark room.

Zero eyed it for a moment, and then shrugged. Oh well.

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Short.

I thought this would be the chapter he met Yuki in, but the author's section of my heart needs more substance.


	8. Sizzle

Zero glared at the storming sky. Clouds grayed the inky night, pressing in on the sleigh. The cold of unformed snowflakes slapped against him, soaking his clothes and chilling his body. He felt his hair cling before his eyes, and wiped it away. It made no difference. The world was still an all encompassing grey.

"Dilly, what should we do?!" roared Zero. The shocks of thunder nearly drowned his voice. After a moment of no response, he thought to try again, but then a low elven voice filled his ears.

"I don't know! Why'd you fly into a storm cloud in the first place?"

"Because I'm too cool to do things easily. You should know that about me by now. How many years have we been doing this together?" " I just met you three hours ago." " Oh yeah." Zero ran a hand through his snow soaked hair. He fingered the reins of the reindeer. What to do? A bolt of lightning arched through the sky, briefly illuminating Zero's hand. His violet eyes widened, and when the grey returned, he grabbed at the reins. A powerful whip crack snapped through the air. Zero felt the snow pelting against his face speed up. Beside him, Dilly shifted angrily.

"What the hell Zero? What are you doing?" " I know what to do. I'm going to rush to where the lightning is strongest. This sled is magic, right? If I'm struck by it, we might just get some kind of super… mega…boost…. thing." " You can't just fly above the clouds?!"

"Oh yea-," the world burst into a flood of light and pain. Thunder cracked, and a yellow glow flowed over Zero's jittering body. For a moment Zero's vision turned a solid white-

And then everything was black.

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"Zero." Zero stared up at Yuki. The moon burned against her hair, painting it shining silver. Strands fell to brush against his pale cheek. They tickled.

She was looking at him with an odd combination of concern, and quiet empathy. Zero hated it when she looked at him like that, because when he saw her, he just couldn't help but think that she probably looked like that for HIM all the time, that HE could probably show up and rip her attentions from Zero with his very presence, that SHE cared about HE more than…

But that was neither here nor there. Zero fought to find his voice.

"Did you see him?" he whispered. Yuki's face didn't change at all. She just kept starring at him with those amber eyes. He forced himself to sit up. He realized just how tired he was, but that didn't matter. He had to make her understand.

"Did you see him?" he roared. Yuki didn't flinch.

"Zero." She whispered. Zero's heart raced at the sound of his name on her soft lips.

"I wasn't lying! He really was here. You have to believe me. Please, Yuki, believe me. There was a vampire on the roof. I'm not lying. Yuki-"

"Zero," she whispered. Her face pressed in closer to his. He could smell the berry scent of her breath caressing his face. Her lips looked soft and inviting. His eyes lay helpless before hers. All at once, he realized that she was holding him down.

Their noses almost touched. "Zero," she repeated.

"Yuki," he said. He drew ever so closer to her. His breath misted in the cold air, brushing against her face. Against the moonlight, Yuki's hair really did look silver.

It… really did. Zero stared closer. It really was silver. He glanced back at her face. The features seemed to shift. Her lips moved again. "Zero… Clause?" asked Mrs. Clause.

Zero sat up quickly. The world shifted into a blur of white and black. He realized it was snowing. Mrs. Clause had retreated back, her eyes wide and curious. She was sitting on her legs, inches from his feet. Zero forced himself to stand up. Crimson bled into his cheeks, but he managed to hide it.

Rubbing his arms to kill the cold, Zero assessed his surroundings. He was in a large, white field. Snow bleached trees ringed the area, their tall gnarled bodies serving as silent guardians. Zero's eyes caught on the sleigh. It was in tact, if a bit smoky. The hairs on the reindeer had all poofed up, giving them the look of huge, antlered sheep dogs.

Dilly was atop one, brushing its hair down. He turned to Zero. His voice sounded like a very loud, very long growl. "So you're finally up? Good. We're running late. We have to get going. You and Mrs. Clause, get back in the sleigh. "

Zero snorted. Without a word, he walked over to the sleigh and got back in. Mrs. Clause sat herself down close to him. A little too close for his taste. Was it his imagination, or was she looking at him? Zero coughed as Dilly threw his short form over the side of the sleigh.

"What is she doing here?" he asked sharply. He glanced to his side, and almost flinched at the hurt in Mrs. Clause's huge, puppy dog eyes. She was too damn cute to have been married to someone that old. Struggling to keep his weakness under control, Zero turned away.

Mrs. Clause's voice was soft and embarrassed. Zero had to strain to hear her. "W-well, y-you see, I love the elves and everything, but they're just not… human. Kaien offered to stay, but I knew they needed him at his school. And without Nick…," her voice grew even quieter, and something in Zero's heart sunk. Nick. Santa Clause. It had been his fault.

She continued, "… without Nick, I just knew it was going to be so lonely. I decided, well, I decided that if I snuck onto the sleigh then maybe I could hold off from feeling lonely for just a little longer. When the sleigh fell from the sky, I came out to help you. I know, I'm a horrible person, aren't I? But please, let me stay for just a little bit longer. I just don't want to be lonely" She leaned in closer to him. A little bit too close.

Zero swallowed. "Umm, I suppose so. Just be careful, and don't get in our way." Mrs. Clause's eyes lit up, and before Zero could defend himself she enveloped him in a crushing hug. Too close. WAY too close. His cheeks burned.

The two were broken up by a sharp cough from Dilly. "Are you two done? We have presents to deliver." Zero jolted into action, and grabbed the reigns. A whip crack was quickly followed by the beating off a dozens of hooves against the snowy ground. Their thundering softened as one by one, they leapt into the sky.

Dilly's voice filled Zero's ears. "So why did you fly us into thunder again? You didn't look that stupid."

Zero turned to face Dilly, trying his best to ignore the silently bubbling form of Mrs. Clause. "All of the electricity in the air was screwing up my character. The author couldn't write me correctly, so I acted stupidly." Dilly's face contorted in confusion. "What?"

"Fourth walls are for sissies," muttered Zero, as they soared high above the clouds. Mrs. Clause gave a big yawn, and leaned in closer to him. Her head cradled against his neck.

Too damn close…

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Well, sorry for the wait. Real life, original fiction and all.


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